Sanchez left the game in the fifth inning Friday night after he suffered a strain in his right pectoral muscle, according to a Tigers official. He will return to Detroit early Saturday and undergo an MRI exam to determine the severity of the injury.

"There's discomfort because I can't move my arm very well, and there's a little bit of pain in there," Sanchez said after the Tigers' 5-4 win in Toronto. "I've never had that before. I don't know what the problem is."

Tigers manager Brad Ausmus didn't speculate on how much time Sanchez could miss, but said Sanchez "looked like he was in a little bit of pain after the game."

"It's an odd area to have an injury in baseball," Ausmus said. "It's not something that's common. And I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing."

Sanchez, who has never dealt with a pectoral muscle injury prior to Friday, said he doesn't think he'll need to be placed on the 15-day disabled list.

"I don't want to be in that situation again," Sanchez said. "I just need to wait for whatever comes from the MRI."

Sanchez said he felt immediate pain in his chest when he attempted to pick off Munenori Kawasaki after giving up a two-out single.

Sanchez grabbed the muscle under his right arm and stretched behind the mound before being greeted by Ausmus and head athletic trainer Kevin Rand. He threw one warmup pitch before removing himself from the game.

Sanchez walked off the mound into the dugout under his own power. Left-hander Blaine Hardy came on in relief and induced a groundout off the bat of Ryan Goins to end the inning.

Prior to his exit, Sanchez had allowed four runs on 10 hits in 4 2/3 innings. It marked his second-shortest start this season.

"I don't know what the problem is, or how long it will take," Sanchez said. "I just have to stay positive and hopefully I can get back on the mound really soon."